How to Play Catan — The Base Game
In Catan you build a civilization on a modular island of hexes. Each turn the dice decide which terrain produces, and you spend those resources — brick, lumber, wool, grain, and ore — to build roads, settlements, and cities.
The first player to 10 victory points wins, and trading with your opponents is not optional flavor: it is the core of the game.
Last reviewed 2026-07-27
What's in the box
- 19 terrain hexes (forest, hills, pasture, fields, mountains, and desert)
- Number tokens, sea frame, and harbor pieces
- Wooden roads, settlements, and cities for each player
- Resource cards (brick, lumber, wool, grain, ore)
- Development cards and the robber pawn
- Longest Road and Largest Army special cards, plus two dice
Setup
- Build the island from the hexes and ring it with the sea frame; place number tokens on each land hex except the desert.
- In turn order, each player places one settlement and one connecting road, then reverses order for a second settlement and road.
- Collect one resource for each hex touching your second settlement.
- Place the robber in the desert to start.
How to play — the rules
Producing resources
On your turn, roll both dice. Every player with a settlement touching a hex showing that number collects one matching resource; a city collects two. This happens for all players, not just the roller.
Because production is shared, where you place your first two settlements — and which numbers they touch — largely decides your game.
Rolling a 7 and the robber
- No hex produces on a 7. Instead, every player holding more than 7 resource cards discards half (rounded down).
- The roller then moves the robber onto any hex, blocking it from producing until it moves again.
- The roller steals one random card from a player with a settlement or city on the robbed hex.
Building costs
- Road — 1 brick + 1 lumber.
- Settlement — 1 brick + 1 lumber + 1 wool + 1 grain (worth 1 point).
- City — upgrade a settlement for 3 ore + 2 grain (worth 2 points).
- Development card — 1 ore + 1 wool + 1 grain.
Trading, ports, and development cards
You may trade resources freely with other players on your turn, or with the bank at 4:1 — improving to 3:1 or 2:1 if you have a settlement on the matching harbor.
Development cards include Knights (move the robber), progress cards like Year of Plenty and Monopoly, and hidden Victory Point cards. Play at most one development card per turn, and never the turn you buy it.
A turn, step by step
- Roll the dice; all players collect the resources their settlements and cities produce.
- On a 7, handle discards, move the robber, and steal a card.
- Trade with other players or the bank.
- Build roads, settlements, or cities, buy development cards, or play one development card.
- Pass the dice to the next player.
How to win
Victory points come from settlements (1 each), cities (2 each), the Longest Road and Largest Army cards (2 each), and hidden Victory Point development cards (1 each).
The first player to reach 10 points on their own turn wins immediately — so always keep an eye on who is one good turn from ten.
Strategy tips
- Place your opening settlements on high-probability numbers (6 and 8 are best) and, ideally, on three different resources for flexibility.
- Grab at least one ore and one grain source early — they fuel cities and development cards, the fastest routes to points.
- Don’t hoard past seven cards; a single 7 can force you to dump half your hand.
- Trade to win, not to be nice. Never hand a leader the exact resource that gets them to ten.
- Fight for Longest Road or Largest Army only when the two points actually close out a game — otherwise they are expensive.
Frequently asked questions
How many players can play Catan?
The base game supports 3–4 players. To play with 5 or 6 you need the separate 5–6 player extension added to the base set.
What happens when you roll a 7 in Catan?
No resources are produced. Anyone with more than 7 cards discards half, then the roller moves the robber to a new hex and steals a random card from a player built on it.
How do you win Catan?
Be the first to reach 10 victory points on your turn, counting settlements, cities, Longest Road, Largest Army, and any Victory Point development cards.
Can you trade on other players’ turns?
You can only make trades on your own turn, but you can trade with any other player who is willing. Bank and harbor trades are also limited to your turn.
House-rule ideas
- Friendly robber: when the robber moves, it cannot be placed on a player who has fewer than a set number of points — softer for new players.
- Roll for first settlement placement instead of a fixed order, to balance the opening advantage.
- Play to 12 points for a longer game with the extension.
Buy Catan Base Game
Catan Board Game (Base Set)
The core 3–4 player island — the modern-classic starting point.
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